Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

A healthy prenatal environment is a key factor for a fetus in the womb. Alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, and drugs are just some of the dangerous teratogens that can affect the soon to be born baby. However, alcohol can be one of the most hazardous teratogens to a fetus. Prenatal alcohol exposure may cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), childhood depressive symptoms, lowered IQ and much more. Prenatal alcohol exposure may cause irreversible damages to a child. Major depressive disorders and cognitive deficits have been diagnosed in children as young as preschool age. An article in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, entitled “The Relationship of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and the Postnatal Environment to Child Depressive Symptoms” by Mary J. O’Connor and Blair Paley, studied the correlations between prenatal alcohol exposure and childhood depressive symptoms.

Doctors Mary J. O’Conner and Blair Paley “hypothesized that children with higher levels of prenatal alcohol exposure would display more negative effect in interaction with their mothers…and that these children would endorse more depressive symptoms than children with less prenatal alcohol exposure.” (O’Conner & Paley, 52) An assumption was made that the prenatal alcohol exposure would be associated with the negative effect of the child. The research was conducted at a university medical center and the participants were patients seen at the center. The participants were 42 English speaking mothers who were between the ages of 21 and 44. The studies were done during two sessions with the child and the mother where information was drawn from the research laboratory and the child’s home. The mother was interviewed about her prenatal alcohol consumption in detail. The child was tested for depressive symptoms using the Pictorial Depression Scale (PDS) where the child was shown many pictures and was asked to respond to the pictures by pointing to them. The results of the research...

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...effect of prenatalalcoholexposure
Scientific Writing
June 2010
The effect of prenatalalcoholexposure
Introduction:
Alcohol is a drug with a depressant effect. Alcohol can negatively affect your brain, liver, central nervous system, and heart. The immediate effects of alcohol consumption are delayed reflexes and slurred speech. Since it is a depressant, alcohol slows down your brain. Consuming alcohol regularly can also lead to alcoholism. Alcoholism is a long-term chronic disease, it is when you a mentally or physically addicted to alcohol. Alcohol is a dangerous drug and should be consumed, if at all, under moderation.
A teratogen is any agent that can damage a fetus and therefore cause a birth defect. Alcohol is one of the most dangerous teratogens. There is no proven safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Every time a pregnant woman has a drink, the alcohol enters her bloodstream. It crosses the placenta and enters the fetus through the umbilical cord. So every time a pregnant woman has a drink, her baby does too! The blood alcohol level of the fetus is therefore equal to or greater than the blood...

...From Cherry (2012), prenatal development refers to the changes that take place in human embryo or fetus since the period of conception until the birth of the child. This study was to examine the effect of cocaine use by pregnant mothers to the development of the fetus. The study involved an interview with a nurse since nurses are responsible for providing health care to pregnant women and even after the birth of the child. The effect of cocaine on children exposed to cocaine during their fetus development occurs even long after their birth. This study provides vital information that can be used to educate pregnant mothers on the effect of drugs like cocaine to their health and that of their unborn babies. It is also helpful in understanding the behavior of the drug abusers and especially due to the increased used drugs by the pregnant women across the globe (Thames Digital Media, 2003).
According to Massachusetts Medical Society (1992), in most cases, cocaine users are consumers of other drugs like tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol. However, research has shown that, those children exposed to cocaine during their pregnancy depict some characteristics unique from those of other drugs. The research was carried out by specifically isolating pregnant mother who consumed cocaine only. Growth of their unborn babies was monitored closely with from time to time to establish the effect of cocaine on the fetus development.
It was discovered that...

...Alcohol and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Alcohol plays a major role in society today. It is constantly being .
...... in our minds through advertisements, whether its commercials or
billboards, holidays, or even just at the popular social scene. Alcohol is
consumed for many purposes, such as celebrations, to increase romance, out of
boredom, or a way to relax. Alcohol is a drug that is depended upon by the
majority of our society. Nonetheless, alcohol has very damaging effects, not
only does it cause self-inflicted diseases resembling alcoholism or cirrhosis
of the liver, but it harms unborn fetuses as well. Many women drink alcohol
when they do not even know that they are pregnant yet. Alcohol can cause
disorders such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, FAS, is a congenital disorder which is
characterized by a variety of physical and behavioral traits that result from
maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. The term Fetal Alcohol Effects,
FAE, indicates that alcohol is being considered as one of the possible causes of
a patient's birth defects. In other words, FAE is a less severe form of FAS.
Both FAS and FAE are the results of the use of teratogens, which are nongenetic
influences that can potentially complicate...

...taHeavy drinking by pregnant women can be devastating to offspring. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a cluster of abnormalities and problems that appear in the offspring of mothers who drink alcohol heavily during pregnancy. The abnormalities include facial deformities and defective limbs, face, and heart (Klingenberg &amp; others, 2010). Most children with FASD have learning problems and many are below average in intelligence with some that are mentally retarded (Dalen &amp; others, 2009). Recent studies revealed that children and adults with FASD have impaired memory development (Coles &amp; others, 2010; Pei &amp; others, 2008). Another recent study found that children with FASD have impaired math ability linked to multiple regions of the brain (Lebel &amp; others, 2010). Although many mothers of FASD infants are heavy drinkers, many mothers who are heavy drinkers do not have children with FASD or have one child with FASD and other children who do not have it.
The 1990s is witnessing the significant impact alcohol-related birth defects are having on our society. These birth defects are caused by maternal use of alcohol during pregnancy which are irreversible, yet preventable. The most severe outcome, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), to the less easily diagnosed fetal alcohol effects (FAE). The incidence of FAS is estimated at .33 per 1,000 live births. The estimated incidence of...

...they ingested? Would one remain indoors in a glass bubble? Unfortunately, one cannot hide from all of life’s environmental factors, but one can educate them self enough to know what studies have proven to be harmful teratogens to their unborn child, especially during the embryonic period.
“A teratogen is any agent that can potentially cause a birth defect or negatively alter cognitive and behavioral outcomes. The field of study that investigates the causes of birth defects is called teratology. Some exposures to teratogens do not cause a physical defect but can alter the brain that is developing and influence cognitive and behavioral functioning, which is call behavioral teratology. The danger of structural defects caused by teratogens normally occurs earlier in the embryonic development rather than the fetal development, due to the fact it is the critical period for development of the nervous system (Santrock, Thirteenth Edition).
The embryonic period is the period of prenatal development that occurs from two to eight weeks after conception. The rate of cell differentiation strengthens, support systems for cells cultivate, and organs appear. Damage during the germinal period often will prevent implantation. In the beginning of the embryonic period, blastocyst attach to the uterine wall. The mass then becomes the embryo and three layers of cells form; the embryo’s endoderm (inner layer) which will form the digestive and respiratory system,...

...Alexis Incantalupo
Child Psychology DSL
Prenatal Advice
Professor Guallini
2/5/13
Congratulations on your first baby! This means that your husband’s sperm cell has successfully fertilized your egg cell! I understand that you are worried about potential problems throughout your pregnancy. Pregnancy can be a nerve-racking experience for any first time parent. These parents may worry about something going wrong while carrying a child such as the baby’s health, or they may worry about something going completely wrong during the delivery process. Although it is hard, many mothers should try not to stress throughout their pregnancy. Unnecessary stress can be one cause of problems for the developing baby. To reduce the anxiety, mothers need to be properly informed about what exactly is occurring throughout the entire pregnancy. Reading books and watching films may be informative; however, they may leave out important information regarding genetics, abnormalities and disorders, and prenatal development. Mothers will worry less when they understand the important aspects that contribute to a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery.
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...Prenatal and Postpartum Scenario
(indent) This memo will address the basic activities that women should consider when pregnant and post pregnancy. In order to (from Write Point: [Writing suggestion--the meaning will be the same (and less wordy) by removing "in order"]) promote a healthy lifestyle and a babyâ€™s healthy development, a mother must create a healthy environment for her child.
Prenatal Women
Daily Activity List
â€¢ Regular doctor visits (beginning between 6-8) (from Write Point: [Write out numbers under 10])
â€¢ Eat a balanced diet
â€¢ Exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes everyday (from Write Point: [Check spelling: "everyday" is an adjective meaning common or ordinary (This is an everyday sweatshirt); "every day" means "each day"])
â€¢ Get the recommended sleep
Where is the citation for the information found in this list? Without a citation, a reader does not know from where the information originated and cannot find the resource to verify the information.
Explanation
first doctorâ€™s appointment should be between weeks six and eight. The doctor will run blood test and will prescribe prenatal vitamins. Taking these prenatal vitamins will help your babyâ€™s brain and spinal cord develop. Regular doctor visits can prevent diabetes, preeclampsia, anemia, and other infectious diseases. Preventing these diseases is very (informal) important to encourage healthy prenatal...

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Alcohol and its Effects
Rachael Wade
Ivy Tech Community College
Alcohol and its Effects
Alcohol can be a very harmful substance. Alcohol can be abused, and people can get addicted to it like any other drug. It can impair coordination and judgment as well as a lot of other things. Alcohol can also have long term effects on the organs in the body. It can affect people psychologically as well as behaviorally. Many deaths that occur each day are caused by alcohol. Consuming alcohol affects a lot of things that people do not realize.
Psychoactive drugs affect the nervous system (Seymour & Smith, 2013). These types of drugs affect consciousness and moods. Types of psychoactive drugs include depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens (King, 2013). Alcohol is a depressant that affects the central nervous system causing decreased blood pressure and heart rate (Grunberg, Berger, & Hamilton, 2011). Depressants mainly slow down, or depress, the activity in the brain. Alcohol stimulates dopamine neurons in the VTA or the ventral tegmental area of the midbrain (Olsen, 2011). The VTA and the NAc (nucleus accumbens-olfactory tubercle complex) make up the dopamine reward circuit, which reinforces the effects of drugs (Olsen, 2011). This reinforcement makes the user feel good, and they associate alcohol with this pleasurable...